Manager of Strategy and Learning

Job Description

The Perrin Family Foundation envisions a society free from systemic oppression where Black and Brown youth exercise their innate power and live fully, at ease, in joy and liberation. Geographically focused on the state of Connecticut, our mission is to invest in and cultivate support for an ecosystem that builds the collective leadership and power of Black and Brown youth in order to advance movements for racial and social justice. Our work and approach are grounded in and guided by our core values, which you can learn more about here.

The only foundation in Connecticut exclusively dedicated to youth-led social justice, over the past decade PFF’s grantmaking, capacity building, and field building efforts have played an instrumental role in developing and strengthening the youth-led social change landscape in our state.  More recently, PFF has engaged in a deep internal development and strategic planning work, with the goal of better aligning our internal structure and governance with our core mission and developing a theory of change and strategic framework that will guide our work over the next decade. In our external work, PFF will pursue the development of strategies aligned with our role in the ecosystem, which includes: providing funding for youth-led racial and social justice efforts, partnering to incubate infrastructure that supports a strong field, building knowledge and shifting narratives about youth-led racial and social justice work, and organizing within philanthropy in service of our mission. 

Often described by others as a foundation that has “outsized impact” given its size, PFF is seeking new team members as we embark on the implementation of our strategic framework. 

POSITION SUMMARY

PFF seeks an experienced candidate with a demonstrated commitment to social and racial justice to join our team as Manager of Strategy and Learning. Reporting to the President, this newly-created position will serve as a thought partner to the President, work closely with the Program Officer and play a key leadership role in the implementation of our new strategic framework. Broadly, the role of the Manager of Strategy and Learning is to: build internal and external understanding of the youth-led racial and social justice landscape in Connecticut and beyond; expand and deepen relationships with stakeholders in the ecosystem; identify areas of challenge and opportunity and generate ideas for innovative actionable responses; and support PFF in developing a framework for assessing our impact and success. In particular, the Manager of Strategy and Learning will be responsible for managing two areas of work under PFF’s strategic framework: working collaboratively with partners to strengthen field infrastructure and building knowledge and will for co-investment in youth-led racial and social justice efforts. It is expected that this role will evolve as PFF works towards implementation of its strategic framework. Specific responsibilities include:

Strategy Development:

• Broaden and deepen PFF’s network of relationships with key stakeholders and constituencies beyond our current network of grantee partners.
• Stay informed of gaps, needs, and developments in the field through research, dialogue, and engagement with key partners and stakeholders.
• Based on learnings, propose, develop, and execute new ideas and strategies that will seed, scale, and strengthen youth-led social change and organizing infrastructure across Connecticut.
• Works in partnership with the Program Officer to manage PFF’s funding allocations for “direct charitable activities,” the non-grant resources that support the execution of our missions and strategic priorities.
• Create and manage the execution of a new strategy to amplify the voices of our grantee partners and other field leaders.

Funder Organizing:

• Support funder organizing efforts at PFF by conducting 1:1s with philanthropic peers and colleagues.
• Participate in and represent PFF in funder collaboratives and networks.
• Partner with other team members at PFF to leverage additional philanthropic investments in support of PFF’s grantee partners and strategies.
• Contribute to the development of publications, articles, and other strategies that catalyze commitment to youth-led racial and social justice and advance accountability in the philanthropic sector.

Learning and Evaluation:

• Lead efforts to ensure PFF’s value of “ongoing learning and adaptation” is robustly operationalized in our work. This includes assisting with the development of a values-aligned evaluation framework to help track and assess the impact and outcomes of PFF’s work. 
• Gather information on best practices and trends in the philanthropic sector and youth-led social justice landscape and share with PFF’s staff, board, and Strategy Council to inform our ongoing learning and adaptation. 
• Help ensure that the development and design of grantmaking and other initiatives are informed by and responsive to field-centered needs, challenges, and opportunities.

CANDIDATE PROFILE AND QUALIFICATIONS:

We seek an experienced candidate whose superpower is building meaningful relationships, listening deeply, and synthesizing multiple streams of information to drive thoughtful and intentional action. Someone who is successful in this role will thrive working as part of a small team with an all-hands-on-deck culture, and engage as a dreamer and a do-er, seeking creative and innovative strategic possibilities while also holding deep attention and rigor to the planning and execution required to effectively implement strategies and priorities. He/she/they will possess the following qualifications and attributes.

Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent work experience.
• 6+ years of professional experience, including serving in a role that required the creation and execution of a strategy from conceptualization to implementation to assessment. 
• Must have a track record of success in working closely with young people, nonprofits, grassroots groups, organizers, coalitions or other stakeholders to craft a shared vision. Prior experience in organizing is preferred, and experience in philanthropy is an asset.
• Demonstrated commitment to advancing social and racial justice work, evidenced by a well-developed analysis and past contributions to advancing systemic or structural change.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills, including the ability to succinctly synthesize and document patterns, trends, and opportunities for external audiences.

Attributes:

• Commitment to working collaboratively, resolving conflict constructively, leading with curiosity, finding humor in the midst of challenge, and willing to bring their whole selves to a highly relational team.
• Strong learning orientation and deep capacity for attentiveness to and reflection on the dynamics of power in the context of philanthropy and community work.
• Ability to adapt and operate with confidence in the context of organizational change, and fluency with creating clarity out of ambiguity.
• Motivated by our mission and values and engaged in ongoing personal introspection and learning in pursuit of racial and social justice.